The Feelings We Hide
by AFanOfFax
Summary: The fact that Natsu and Lucy belong together is obvious, but their relationship status of 'best friends' remains the same. Will Natsu finally realize how much Lucy means to him after a tragic event, or will Lucy be able to tell Natsu her feelings after he, once again, saves her? Nope. If it were that simple, they would already be a couple. Read to see how Nalu finally happened.
1. Chapter 1

For the people who are reading this: **Hi! I'm 'AFanOfFax', and I love reading fanfics! I also love the anime show/manga series Fairy Tail. I enjoy writing, and want advice on how to make my writing better (so please tell me what you think in a review). The first part (**_in italics) _**is a preview of later in the story. Also, the quotes in "**_italics" _**are thoughts. **

**(I do not own the manga series or anime show Fairy Tail, if I did then Natsu and Lucy would be a couple.)**

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_ "__Just wait! We'll get you soon!" their voices taunted, spurring Lucy to run faster. Her heart thumping painfully in her chest, Lucy raced through the forest. Branches whipped at her face and snared strands of her blonde hair as she desperately tried to outpace the attackers. With a cry of pain and shock, Lucy felt a strong hand grasp her arm and yank her back. Lucy's scream was silenced by her captor, who then carried the frail girl away into the night. As Lucy's unconscious body was shifted into a comfortable position, her captor gingerly smoothed a lock of her silky hair off her face and sighed with regret._

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Lucy snuggled a bit closer to the source of warmth she was cuddled against and sighed in content. _"Wait, warmth?" _Lucy processed. She felt her heart begin to thump in her chest, and a quick glance around reassured her that she was in her house. A glimpse of salmon colored hair caused her heartbeat to quicken, and all thoughts of sleep to abandon her mind. _"Natsu fell asleep here again?" _she wondered, and began to blush fiercely as she realized their position. Lucy was tucked against his side with her head resting on his chest. Natsu's toned arm held her securely in place, and Lucy had an arm across his chest with her hand gripping the collar of his vest. Trying to move away, Lucy heard a soft moan from the sleeping dragon slayer. She froze in horror, he had woken up.

"Luce," Natsu questioned," What's for breakfast?" Lucy sighed in amusement and frustration. Her annoyance at his lack of manners was countered by her fondness for him. While the fire mage could be reckless and clueless at times, his guild mates could always trust him to have their back. Natsu was the one who had brought Lucy to Fairy Tail, and had made her feel at home by forming a team with her. During the missions they had done, Natsu had saved her countless times, and her admiration had slowly become affection. Despite her attempts to confess to him, Natsu was oblivious to her feelings. His habit of falling asleep in her bed was something she secretly liked, but it also hurt to wake up knowing his actions were not due to deeper feelings.

"Well, I can't make breakfast in bed, and I can't get out of bed until you release me!" Lucy pretended to be angry, but she really didn't mind his company. _"Plus, he is really comfortable…" _Lucy's face heated up again at her thoughts. Natsu removed his arm with a mumbled sorry, but Lucy almost wished he had kept it there. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Lucy jumped out of bed and scrambled to think of an excuse to hide her inner turmoil. "I'm going to take a shower. Then I'll make some breakfast for both of us, okay?" Simply nodding his head, Natsu went over to her couch and made himself comfortable.

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Lucy glared at the mirror. In her haste to get some space from Natsu, she had forgotten to grab clothes for after her shower. Also, she hadn't done the laundry recently and didn't have any towels in the bathroom. There was no way Lucy could get clothes by herself, unless she wanted to chance Natsu seeing her naked. Scowling at herself, Lucy decided she had no other option…"NATSU?!" Lucy screamed.

"What's the matter Luce?" he asked, from the other side of the bathroom door. **(AN: No, he doesn't see her naked.)**

"I forgot to get some clothes, and I don't have a towel. Could you grab some clothes from my drawer for me?" Lucy pleaded.

"Sure, but I don't know why you can't get them yourself. You are such a weirdo sometimes, Luce." Natsu replied. Lucy face-palmed and wondered how he could be so stupid.

"I'm not a weirdo!" Lucy protested, and listened as Natsu rummaged through the clothes. Wringing her hands, she hoped he would pick a decent outfit for her to wear. Lucy's face heated up as she made another request," Um, Natsu, please don't forget undergarments…" Lucy barely managed to squeak out the words, and her face was so hot that Natsu could probably feel her embarrassment.

"S-sure Luce. Got it." Natsu replied. Although still mortified, Lucy couldn't help but wonder about the slight stutter. _"Could he be embarrassed too?"_ She wondered. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. Lucy realized with horror that she hadn't locked the door. _"He wouldn't be THAT dumb, would he?"_ Lucy thought. The door knob began to turn, and Lucy let out a horrified yelp, _"He would!"_ "Don't open the door, you idiot!"

"Well how are you going to get your clothes then?" Natsu questioned.

"J-J-Just leave them by the door and head to the kitchen!" Lucy stuttered out. After his footsteps had receded back to the kitchen, Lucy quickly cracked open the door, grabbed the clothes, and slammed it shut again. With her heart racing, Lucy breathed deeply and tried to calm down. _"He is such a moron!"_ Looking at the outfit Natsu had picked out, she found her red spaghetti strap tank top, and faded denim skirt. She blushed as she found the undergarments, and was glad that they were both modest pieces. She smiled as she found a red bow that matched the shirt, knowing he had remembered that she enjoyed wearing a bow in her hair if she could find one to match.

After slipping on the clothes, Lucy pulled a section of her hair to the side and tied it with the bow. Giving herself a quick glance in the mirror, Lucy smiled and walked to the kitchen. Forgetting the presence of her favorite dragon slayer, Lucy began to hum as she made some pancakes and bacon. "You have a great voice Luce." The sound of Natsu's compliment startled her, causing her to almost drop the pan. Her blunder made the blistering hot grease splash over the side of the pan. A few drops landed on her wrist, causing Lucy to wince in pain. Her lips pulled in to a frown, she turned and faced the smiling dragon slayer. However, as she saw his signature grin, she couldn't help but smile too.

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**I hope you liked the first chapter! Please review and tell me what you think. **


	2. Chapter 2

**For those reading this: I am thrilled at how many people have read my first chapter! Thank you so much for the reviews! My family is going on vacation so I may not be able to update for few days, but I promise I will add the next chapter as soon as I can. I hope you like Chapter 2, and please send me your thoughts by reviewing! :P**

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After eating breakfast, Natsu and Lucy went to the guild hall. Lucy said," I want to go on a higher paying job than we usually do this time." At Natsu's confused expression, Lucy explained," I wanted to pay my rent early this week because the landlady has been hinting that she may kick me out if I don't."

"Okay whatever you say Luce, I know you just want to spend time with me," Natsu replied. As Lucy blushed and stuttered protests, Natsu smiled to himself. _"Lucy is so cute when she gets embarrassed." _

When they arrived to the guild hall, they could hear a ruckus inside. "No fair!" Natsu yelled," They started a fight without me!" Sighing, Lucy pushed open the doors and looked up to see a table flying at her. "Look out!" Natsu shouted, and pulled Lucy out of the way. The quick action caused both Natsu and her to fall over, with Natsu hovering above Lucy's face.

"Umm…Thanks and Get Off!" Lucy yelled with her face red. She stormed over the bar, and asked Mira for lemonade **(AN: My favorite drink so I'm making it Lucy's favorite)**. Mira nodded and smiled a devious smirk. _"Okay…Mira's in a strange mood,"_ Lucy thought as she waited for her drink. Watching her guild mates in their friendly brawl, Lucy noticed Juvia hiding behind a pillar while staring at Gray. _"If only I could be as bold as she is with her daily confessions. Then maybe Natsu would notice me…" _

"Here's your lemonade, Lucy," Mira said, then left to go take more orders from their hungry guild mates. Thanking Mira, Lucy smiled as the cool drink quenched her thirst and refreshed her. The drink left a slightly bitter taste in her mouth though…_"A little too much lemon,"_ Lucy decided. After a few more drinks, Lucy began to feel light headed and giggle. When Natsu found her, Lucy was lying under a table and talking to a chair.

"Lucy?!" Natsu questioned. His concern for her only grew as she began to stare intensely at his face. _"What is wrong with her?_" Natsu wondered_," It's like she is drunk or something."_ Natsu jumped when he felt someone grab his hand. He turned to see Lucy stroking his palm and humming with her eyes closed in bliss. Jerking his hand away, Natsu stomped over to the bar and yelled for Mira. "Did Lucy drink anything alcoholic tonight?" he demanded.

"No," said Mira, "but is she okay?" Natsu spun around to see Lucy crawling towards him with a goofy expression on her face. Suddenly Lucy collapsed on the floor. Natsu dashed over to her side and tried to wake her.

"Lucy? Come on, Luce, it's not funny?!" His eyes widened in worry as she remained unconscious and her breathing slowed and became shallow. Wendy noticed and ran over to the pair, worried for Lucy's health.

"She's been poisoned," Wendy announced with a solemn expression," The cure is a rare flower with fuchsia petals, a blue stem, silver leavers, and three silver pistols." Natsu felt rage boiling inside him at the thought of someone harming Lucy. His clenched fists lit on fire as he stood and marched off towards the forest.

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After searching desperately for the flower, Natsu began to just take every flower with one of the special flower's features. Racing back to the guild hall's infirmary, Natsu prayed he wasn't too late. Throwing the doors open, Natsu sprinted to the room where Lucy was in, following her scent with his powerful nose. Throwing the door open, he heard a thud. Natsu's heart froze at the sight of the empty bed. "Where's Lucy?!" he demanded, scaring the poor sky dragon slayer. Seeing tears in Wendy's eyes, the ice on Natsu's heart began to crack. "No! It's not true! Lucy isn't dead, she can't be dead!" Natsu shouted while his heart began to break. His chest aching with a pain so intense he couldn't breathe, Natsu felt tears building in his eyes.

"What are you freaking out for you idiot!" The sound of _her _voice suddenly became the only thing Natsu could hear, and after he spun around, Lucy was all he could see. "I mean really," Lucy exclaimed with exasperation," you shouldn't assume a person is dead so easily! Do you really think-"

"LUCY!" Natsu yelled. He ran over to her and pulled her close to him. Breathing in her scent, he sighed and said," Luce, I don't know what I'd do without you. I lo-"Natsu's statement was interrupted by Lucy pushing him away and whacking him on the head. "Hey!" Natsu exclaimed," What was that for?"

"You idiot!" Lucy said," You hit me with the door on your way in!" she pointed to her reddened nose. Natsu looked at her and smiled," But now your nose matches your shirt." **(AN: Remember the red shirt he picked out.) **With an annoyed huff of anger, Lucy stormed past and marched home. Laughing, Natsu began to walk towards Lucy's house as well. After Lucy made him apologize several times for hitting her with the door, she relented and let Natsu in for the night.

A few hours later, Natsu watched Lucy sleeping with a peaceful expression on her face. He remembered how someone had tried to poison _his _Lucy earlier that day. With a scowl Natsu made a vow," _I will protect you from whoever tries to harm Lucy because I can't bear to see you hurting."_ Then he remembered how he had hurt her, and bit his lip in guilt at the sight of the bruise forming on her nose. Natsu spent most of the night preparing a surprise for Lucy. He was so excited for her to see it that he almost woke her up. However, considering it was three in the morning, Natsu thought Lucy would want to sleep in. Proud of his handiwork, Natsu collapsed in exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep…cuddled next to Lucy.

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**I hope you enjoyed the second chapter! Again, please review and give me your thoughts, advice, and opinions! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi, anyone who is bothering to read this instead of skipping to the story! WARNING: this chapter may contain fluffy/cute scenes of possible nalu...or not. ;) **

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As Lucy slowly drifted towards consciousness, her nose began to burn. Scrunching her face up in distaste, she grimaced at the unwelcome scent. Still tired, however, Lucy turned over and immediately felt better as a pleasant smell filled her senses. Snuggling closer, Lucy recognized the scent of cinnamon and spice…_"NATSU!?" _She quickly pushed him away and looked up. The angry words she was about to say, died on her lips as she saw the peaceful expression on his face. "Natsu?" Lucy asked in a soft voice, she leaned in closer as he began to mumble. Trying to catch what he was saying, Lucy leaned so far forward that she couth feel his breath on her cheek. Her blood rushed to her face, and she drew back with a sigh. In the back of her mind, she recalled the unpleasant scent she has smelled after waking up. Lucy slowly turned her head and gasped….in horror.

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Natsu smiled as Lucy thanked him for his surprise. A warm feeling grew in his chest as she praised his work. "Luce, there is something I have to tell you," Natsu blushed as he prepared to confess," The truth is I –"

"NATSU!" Lucy's furious voice awoke Natsu from his dream. He yawned as he sat up, and stretched his arms out. He looked in confusion at the angry blonde before him. Lucy was standing beside the bed with an evil glint in her eyes. "You burned my kitchen!" Lucy shrieked, waving her arms in emphasis at the smoky room. Lucy's apartment was filled with a light smoky haze, and there were black scorch mark decorating the walls.

"I made you breakfast," Natsu stated, and pointed to a pile of charred food on the table," I wanted to make up for hitting your face with the door yesterday…" Lucy blushed as she realized her mistake. Natsu continued," I was so worried about you yesterday that I didn't slow down by the door. I –"

Lucy cut him off," It was my fault too, Natsu." Natsu's face scrunched up in confusion. "I was standing by the door, when I should have still been in bed." In her mind, Lucy added," _I was on my way to see you." _After an awkward pause, the two looked at each other and laughed. "We are a pair of hopeless idiots aren't we, Natsu?" Lucy asked, and broke into a fit of giggles. Natsu simply gave his face-splitting grin, the one he only used for Lucy.

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"It's your turn to pick the mission Natsu," Lucy declared as they entered the guild doors. An excited expression lit up Natsu's face as he tore off towards the mission board. Lucy also took off running…towards the bar. "Mira?!" she called," Can you whip up something, anything at all, quick for me to eat?" Mira smiled and set a plate of eggs in front of Lucy. "Thanks, Mira!" Lucy exclaimed as she dug into the food with enthusiasm. At Mira's concerned face, Lucy explained," Natsu tried to make me breakfast this morning, but it was completely burnt. I managed to force it down to spare his feelings, but my stomach feels like it's full of ashes." Mira simple nodded in understanding. She remembered the one and only time Natsu had been in _her_ kitchen…she grimaced at the memory.

Lucy had just finished her eggs and given the plate back to Mira, when Natsu ran over to her. "I found the perfect job!" he exclaimed," It is high paying so you can pay your rent early." Lucy smiled as a warm feeling filled her chest. _"He remembered my rent issue,"_ Lucy thought in surprise. Taking the paper from his hands, Lucy scanned the job description. **(AN: The job description is **underlined**) **

Help wanted to investigate the disappearances of 19 girls; ages 16-19

"Those poor girls," Lucy mumbled.

Location: Small towns along Magnolia's border

_"__Including where I met Natsu,"_ Lucy thought with a smile.

Reward: 7 million jewels

_"__Whoohoo! I'll be set for months!" _Lucy's smile grew larger.

Notes: There have been reports dark guild mages in the area.

Seeing a frown appear on Lucy's face, Natsu asked," Do you not like it?" Quickly reassuring Natsu that the job sounded great, Lucy pushed the strange feeling growing in the pit of her stomach to the side. _"No need to ruin the mood with my silly worries."_ She thought. Showing Mira the job, Lucy smiled as Mira gave her approval. Suddenly Mira pulled Natsu close, and whispered something in his ear. Natsu's cheeks turned pink as he quickly nodded and dashed over to Lucy's side. "What was Mira telling you?" Lucy questioned, but sighed when Natsu merely shrugged and said it wasn't important.

"Nooooooooo!" Natsu's wails were ignored as he was dragged towards the torture machine. His captor continued to pull him towards the train. "Natsu," she said," You are NOT walked and I am NOT walking so we have to take the train…unless you want me to ask Erza to come along and give us a ride on her magic mobile?" Shaking his head vehemently, Natsu succumbed and let Lucy drag him into a train seat. As the train began to roll, Natsu's turned a sickly shade of green. Drool began to slide out of his mouth as he groaned in discomfort. Lucy took pity on the poor motion sick dragon slayer, and scooted closer to him. Gently lifting his head, she placed it on her lap and began to stroke his soft salmon colored locks. Humming softly, Lucy's actions soothed Natsu to the extent that he could see the world with eyes that weren't spinning spirals. Closing his eyes in bliss, Natsu cherished the feeling of Lucy's delicate fingers running through his hair. The sound of her voice lulled Natsu into a peaceful sleep that lasted until the end of the train ride.

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As Natsu recovered from the long train ride, Lucy walked into a small restaurant known by the locals for having crazy spicy food. Choosing a chicken sandwich for herself, she ordered a flaming turkey leg for Natsu. The cook gave her a questioning look at her request, then shrugged and began to prepare the meal. She ate her sandwich then proceeded to attempt to carry the flaming chunk of meat to Natsu. The flames, however, grew too close to her hands and she shrieked, flapping her arms wildly as she tried to run the food over to the hungry dragon slayer. Luckily for Lucy, he was already on his way to her, having recovered from his motion sickness faster than usual. Gulping down some of the flames, and then tearing off a chunk of the sizzling meat, Natsu thanked Lucy for the meal. The smile on his face made Lucy's day, and she giggled at the childish expressions on his face as he tore into the rest of the meat.

After Natsu finished eating, the two headed towards the town hall where their clients were waiting with the other families of the missing girls. Listening carefully to the descriptions of each girl, Lucy noted they were all mages with unique magic styles. "Please promise me you will find my daughter," a mother had begged Lucy with tears in her eyes. Lucy had nodded and tried to give a reassuring smile to all of the anxious parents and scared family members. Natsu placed a gentle hand on Lucy's shoulder as they walked out of the building to guide her to the hotel room their clients were providing for the pair during their investigation. Lucy was so deep in thought that without Natsu's guidance, she wouldn't have made it to their hotel without becoming hopelessly lost.

Settling down for the night, Lucy hadn't spoken a word yet. Natsu's face scrunched up in worry as Lucy laid in bed, staring silently at the ceiling. "Luce?" He said, poking her arm repeatedly.

"Quit poking me!" Lucy protested, swatting his hand away with an annoyed huff. Seeming to snap out of her daze, she turned to Natsu. "Did it occur to you that I could have been like those missing girls?"

"Umm…" Natsu scratched his head in confusion. "What are you saying?"

Sighing, Lucy explained," If you hadn't been there on that day we first met, I would've been charmed and taken away by those men collecting girls for slaves." Her eyes began to sparkle with unshed tears," Whether the recent kidnapping are by the same men or not, how can I hope to save those girls if I wasn't able to save myself. Why did you even come for me? I am such a weak and–"

"Stop," Natsu's voice silenced her, with his head was bent and face shadowed. Thinking he agreed, tears began to roll down Lucy's face. Natsu raised his head and gave her such an intense stare; it took Lucy's breath away. "You are not like any other girl, Luce, and that is why I came for you. I knew you were special from the moment I looked into your eyes because you have this spark. I'm not good with words, but well I can only describe the feeling as warm that I had when you asked to treat me to a meal. I came for you because you lit up with so much excitement as you talked passionately about your dreams and plans that it made me feel excited." Lucy listened with wide eyes as he continued. "Even if I hadn't come for you, you would have figured something out. Luce, you are so smart, way smarter than I could ever be. It is stupid for you to feel weak or insecure because you are an incredibly talented mage. Please don't put yourself down because I-"

"Natsu," Lucy choked out," thank you." She threw her arms around him as tears continued to spill from her chocolate eyes. Startled, Natsu hesitated then slowly wrapped his arms around Lucy's shaking form. Not used to comforting people like this, Natsu did his best to soothe the blonde. He gently stroked her hair, and continued to hold her gently. After a few minutes, Lucy's cries quieted and her body relaxed. Realizing she had fallen asleep, Natsu carefully carried Lucy to her bed and tucked her in.

After trying unsuccessfully to fall asleep in the other hotel bed, Natsu decided to take a shower. "Luce will probably take most of tomorrow morning in it anyway" he mumbled as he walked slowly towards the bathroom.

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**Yes, yes, I know it was a bit sweet, I hope you don't get a cavity. The next chapter will have more action so please review and tell me what you think.**


	4. Chapter 4

**For the (hopefully) humans reading this: I'm sorry Chapter 4 took so long to update! I've been busy with summer programs, and had a crazy 4th of July week. My uncle has a birthday on the 4th of July so its a tradition in my family to light off mega-sized fireworks! The cops usually show up...to join in! :P Anyway...here is chapter 4!**

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Lucy jolted awake. Breathing heavily, she inhaled the air in gulps. Not sure what had spooked her, Lucy's chocolate eyes shot around the room as she searched for the cause of her alarm. Noticing the absence of a certain fire mage, Lucy's panic increased. As she stood up from the bed, she stumbled through the darkness of the room. The only visibility was given by the moon light shining through the window. As Lucy reached for the lamp, a shadow appeared in front of the window. Lucy let out a terrified yelp and quickly ignited the lamp. The silhouette disappeared and moved away towards the door. "_Where's Natsu?!" _Lucy thought as she began to quiver in terror. She began to back away, gradually picking up pace as she ran towards the exit on the other side of the hotel room.

**POV change**

Natsu sighed as he finished his shower. "_Now Lucy won't complain that I smell like sweat!"_ He thought happily, and then frowned," _Since when do I care about how Lucy thinks I smell?"_ Shrugging, Natsu dried off and put on some night clothes. He opened the door, only to be knocked over...

**POV change (yes, again)**

Lucy's body slammed into someone and she screamed. Her heart racing, she tried to push away her attacker. "No!" she protested. Reaching for her keys, Lucy prepared to fight. However, the person grabbed her arm and pinning her against their body. Tears threatened to spill as Lucy desperately fought against the strong grip. "Luce, calm down." The sound of _his _voice made her freeze. "Natsu?" Lucy questioned, her voice shaking. Slowly raising her head, Lucy eyes connected with Natsu's eyes narrowed in concern. Sighing in relief, she sank against him, going limp in his arms.

"Luce?!" Natsu asked," What is going on?" His question reminded Lucy of the stranger at the door, and she quickly explained how she had woken up. Gently moving Lucy off of his lap, Natsu stood with clenched fists and walked towards the door. Feeling more confident with him by her side, Lucy stood ready behind him. A soft knock startled them both, as Natsu's hand reached for the door. Swinging it open, Natsu's eyes widened in recognition, a small figure collapsed into his arms. Lucy ran to Natsu's side as he yelled," Happy!"

"Oh no!" Lucy gasped in horror at the site of the blue exceed. There were small gashes and a large scorch mark on his tiny body. There were also multiple bruises that looked painful. Happy's head turned to look at Natsu and Lucy. A smile filled with relief and crossed his face, but as he opened his mouth to speak he passed out in exhaustion.

"Happy?" Natsu begged in a trembling voice," Happy?!" Natsu began to panic as he remained asleep. Only Lucy's gentle yet stern voice kept him from shaking the poor blue cat until he awoke. Lucy moved over to Natsu's side and managed to convince him to hand her their injured friend. Training she had taken with Wendy kicked in as Lucy began to order Natsu to bring her the first aid kit and some towels. The training had been in case Natsu got hurt while acting reckless on a mission, as he almost always did. Shaking her head, Lucy brought her focus to bandaging and cleaning Happy's wounds.

After finishing making sure Happy was taken care of, Lucy moved onto her next patient. Knowing how close Happy and Natsu were, Lucy knew seeing his best friend so hurt would leave a lasting impression on Natsu. He was pacing across the floor, clenching and unclenching his fists. Lucy placed a hand on his shoulder then drew back in pain. The heat of his anger was radiating off him. "Natsu calm down before you burn down the hotel!" Lucy demanded. His pacing stopped as Natsu let out a sigh.

"Sorry Luce," he mumbled. His eyes filled with frustration and guilt caught Lucy off guard. "How could this happen?" he asked," Happy went on a mission with Wendy and Carla, but I only let him go because it was an easy mission and I trust Wendy." Sitting on the bed, Natsu bent over with his face in his hands.

"Happy is going to be fine," Lucy said soothingly. Her heart ached for him as she watched silent tears roll down his face. They sat in silence, feeling safe in each other's company, until a horrifying thought came to Lucy. "Natsu!" she exclaimed in horror," What about Wendy and Carla?" His head shot up and Natsu's face developed a grim expression that morphed into anger.

"If Happy was alone, injured. It must mean that Wendy was separated from him by force or trapped without magic power." Natsu's voice trembled in rage," Someone's going to pay for hurting members of Fairy Tail." Lucy nodded a feeling a rage burning inside her as well. She quickly summoned Loki.

"You called princess?" the celestial spirit said with a smirk. His face grew serious as Lucy explained the situation. He then nodded and disappeared, following Lucy's order's to notify the guild.

A small voice murmured in confusion behind Natsu and Lucy. "Happy!" they exclaimed and rushed over to the exceed's side. He began to cry in joy as he jumped into Natsu's arms, and then snuggled into Lucy. "I'm glad you're okay buddy," Natsu smiled as he rubbed Happy's head affectionately. Suddenly, Happy's eyes widened.

"But Wendy and Carla aren't!" he exclaimed," I went to look for help, but no one would listen to me!" Natsu and Lucy looked at each other, then turned back to the crying blue cat. Happy continued," I kept asking for help or directions, until finally a women said there were mages staying at this hotel. When I saw Lucy in the room, I was so excited that I flew into the window. The noise woke her up, but she didn't open the door." Lucy blushed, embarrassed that she had panicked so easily.

"What happened to Wendy and Carla?" Lucy asked. Tears began to drop from Happy's eyes as he tried to tell the two concerned mages. Natsu placed Happy on his lap and began to rub soothing circles on his back. Lucy watching in shock as Natsu comforted Happy. She rarely saw his soft side, and smiled affectionately at the two friends.

After Happy calmed down, he began…

"_The mission was simple…help entertain the children at the L.O.V.E. Orphanage. Wendy had found the job and I overheard Carla and Wendy talking about whether or not they should take it. I wanted to spend more time with Carla so I asked if I could go with them. I was so happy when Carla said yes! After I asked Natsu's permission, we left that afternoon. It was fun talking to Carla and listening to Wendy on the train, but we got behind schedule walking because I wanted to stop and eat the fish at the market. It was getting late so we stopped at a hotel for the night. I tried to cuddle with Carla, but she kicked me out. The next morning we left for L.O.V.E. Orphanage, but when we got to where the address was there was nothing there. Then some big scary men came out of the forest and grabbed us! Carla and I managed to fly up and get away, but Wendy got caught. When Carla tried to save her, they got her too! Both of them told me to go get help. I didn't want to leave them, but then one of the men shot this weird green fire at me and it hurt so bad I fell back to the ground. One of the men started hurting me, while the others laughed. I could hear Wendy and Carla crying for them to stop but I started to black out…When I woke up Wendy and Carla were gone and I hurt all over."_

Throughout the story, Natsu's face grew more and more furious. His fists clenched, he shouted," Those low life scum! I swear they'll pay for this! No one gets away with hurting my family!" Lucy nodded as she stood next to him. She could feel the heat rolling off his body in waves, but she was too angry herself to care.

"I have informed the guild, princess," Loki told Lucy as he reappeared next to her. Lucy thanked Loki, and then told him what Natsu and her had learned. Loki's face grew stormy as well. "I will tell the guild members this new information," he said.

"Be careful you don't strain yourself," Lucy warned him. Loki smirked and nodded as he once again left. During their exchange, Natsu had been pacing angrily. "Natsu!" Lucy scolded as she spotted scorch marks decorating the floor in the shape of foot prints," Go outside to calm down! If you burn down the hotel, we will be kicked out of the city!" Without a word, Natsu turned and walked out the door. Sighing, Lucy spun around to face Happy. "Are you feeling any better now?" she asked.

"Aye!" was Happy's predictable response. Lucy giggled and checked the bandages over the scorch mark. Her eyes widened at the sight of the burn. Throwing a hand over her mouth, Lucy tried not to scare Happy. The wound had a green puss surrounding the edges. The liquid made a sizzling sound as it dropped onto the bed Happy sat on. To Lucy's horror, she realized the green fire must have acidic magic in it. She immediately picked Happy up, ignoring his protests at her moving his sore body. Lucy ran into the bathroom, and started the shower water. Thrusting the confused and startled exceed under the water, Lucy washed the acidic liquid off. Not understanding the situation, Happy was not enthusiastic or appreciative and squirmed so much that Lucy had to step into the shower to hold him more securely.

* * *

When Natsu managed to calm down, he returned to the hotel. Feeling tired himself; he expected to find Lucy and Happy asleep. Opening the door, Natsu was greeted by a shocking sight. Lucy stood dripping in the middle of the room, struggling to keep a writhing Happy in a towel. "I'm trying to save your life you stupid cat!" Lucy screeched.

"Natsu! Save me! Lucy is trying to drown me!" Happy begged. Natsu looked at the two flustered and fighting friends in front of him. Deciding he would rather sleep, Natsu yawned and walked over to the bed. As he collapsed into the covers, cries of shock and anger could be heard behind him. Tuning them out, Natsu drifted off to sleep with a content smile on his face.

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**Please don't throw mental projectiles of pain at me! I feel bad for Happy too, but I needed to add him to the story without just having him show up. I'd love to see your thoughts and advice for my story so I would REALLY appreciate it if you review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**For the (hopefully) humans reading this: Thank you so much for the reviews! It makes me sooooo excited when I get a review! -happy dance (in my head)- After some deep contemplation, I changed my plans for this story's future...This is the first chapter I wrote with that change in mind so I hope you like it! The action is going to start picking up at an increasing rate so please continue to read my story and send me reviews with your thoughts, criticism, advice, and encouragement! :)**

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As Natsu awoke, his ears picked up the sound of two snickering friends. Sleepily, Natsu blinked his eyes and yawned. Curious to see why Happy and Lucy were laughing, he tried to piece together an explanation of the scene before him…

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_"__Mwahahaha! This plan is the perfect revenge!" _Lucy thought as she and Happy got ready to attack. Due to how Natsu had ignored Happy and her last night, the two had formed a truce in order to get revenge. Lucy's eyes wandered over Natsu's sleeping face. He looked so peaceful that she almost felt guilty for what they were about to do. Natsu's face scrunched up a little as he began to wake up. Happy and Lucy exchanged a glance and began to snicker. Quickly double checking that his eyes were open, Lucy heaved the bucket of ice water towards to poor dragon slayer. His eyes widened in shock as the frigid water hit him. Above Natsu, Happy quickly snapped a picture of the half drowned fire mage. After about three seconds, Happy and Lucy began to laugh at Natsu's bewildered expression. After about five seconds, Happy and Lucy were running in terror from a very cold and VERY displeased Natsu.

As Natsu chased Lucy, a wicked smile appeared on his face. Seeing his smirk, Lucy shrieked and sped up. Her efforts were in vain, however, because Lucy was quickly trapped in a corner by a devious looking Natsu. "Good morning, Natsu," Lucy said in a shaky voice," W-we're even now, right?" In response, Natsu quickly stepped forward and wrapped his freezing wet arms around Lucy. Considering Lucy was wearing thin cotton sleepwear, her appropriate response was a shriek that an angry hotel manager said woke most of the hotel residents.

After Lucy had taken a long hot shower; Natsu, Happy, and her began to walk to the location where Wendy and Carla were kidnapped. Natsu refused to ride the train, and Lucy gave in on the condition that they stopped at least once on the three hour hike. The walk through the forest was quiet with an occasional comment from Happy on how something reminded him of a fish. Lucy looked over at Natsu to see him scanning the trees warily. "Something wrong?" she asked. Natsu shook his head as if trying to clear his head.

"I am smelling these confusing scents," he admitted. Lucy glanced around in concern. At her worried look, Natsu reported," They aren't around here now." Lucy breathed a sigh of relief.

"Confusing how?" she questioned Natsu.

"Well, a few smell familiar, but most of them are new. I don't know how, but I recognize some of these scents." Natsu said. Lucy bit her lip as she tried to process this. "Probably just that cold water messing with my head," Natsu joked. Lucy rolled her eyes as the tight feeling in her chest relaxed. She felt safer just being near Natsu and his contagious smile and optimism. Turning to look at Natsu again, she blushed as she found his eyes already on her. Natsu and Lucy looked at each other an smiled, a light pink tinge appearing on Natsu's cheeks as well.

"You liiiike each other!" The sound of Happy's teasing seemed to snap both of them out of a daze. Natsu hid a smile as Lucy furiously shouted at the, luckily, flying exceed. The warm feeling growing in his chest when he met Lucy's eyes confused him. Natsu thought," _Lucy is my friend so why do I feel so differently around her than I do with anyone else?"_

Natsu's musing was interrupted by the sound of approaching feet. Quickly motioning to Lucy they were being followed. Natsu carefully sniffed the air. His eyes narrowed in recognition as he realized they were being followed by Wendy and Carla's kidnappers. Just seeing the fire in his eyes told Lucy who they were dealing with. In perfect sync, Natsu and Lucy spun around to face their pursuers. Lucy's eyes widened in horror at the group of men facing Natsu and her with malicious smirks.

"Oi, Blondie," a man stepped forward, eying Lucy's body as he spoke," Come with us like a good little lady and we will go easy on your friends here when we beat them up." Furious at how the perverted men were drooling at Lucy, and how they addressed her, Natsu charged forward. Aiming a flaming fist at the man who spoke, Natsu yelled," Apologize to Lucy, or I'll turn you scum all to ashes!" The man simply smirked, skillfully dodging the attack. However, Natsu delivered a painful kick to the man's back that sent him staggering. Glaring at Natsu, he signaled the rest of the group to attack.

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After what felt like hours, Lucy defeated her last opponent. The men had been harder to beat than she had thought, and now Lucy felt drained of magic power. During the fight, Lucy had become separated from Natsu. Following the sound of the dragon slayers battle cries, along with the rising smoke, Lucy walked tiredly back to her friend. When she found him, Natsu was giving Happy a high five as the two celebrated their victory. Seeing Lucy, Natsu gave her his signature grin and did a fist pump. Lucy couldn't help but smile back as an intense feeling began to build within her. "Aye! We should celebrate with fish!" Happy declared.

"We haven't finished yet," Lucy corrected the two cheering friends," We still have to find out where Wendy and Carla are, and if the other kidnapped girls are with them." Natsu nodded while Happy chirped," Aye!" The sound of shuffling and groaning made them spin around. One of the men was waking up. He blinked in confusion as he looked up to see a flying blue cat glaring at him. His eyes widened in panic as he found himself face to face with a flaming fist. Twisting away, he began to whimper as he saw Lucy standing behind him holding her whip ready to strike. In frightening sync, the three ordered," Talk."

The pathetic man had broken down easily. Following the instructions the man had blubbered out, Lucy, Natsu, and Happy soon came to the kidnappers hide out. The building appeared broken down, but there were new looking iron bars across every window. Light escaped from underneath a door along with the sound of twisted and evil sounding laughter. Natsu's fist lit on fire as he caught the words," Team two should be back already, that blonde was reported to be weak and our men should be able to dispose of her pink haired friend easily enough." Fury building within him, Natsu stepped towards the building. Seeing Natsu about to charge in, Lucy quickly grabbed his hand and to get his attention.

"Natsu, we have to sneak in and rescue those girls. Earlier while fighting them I asked why they were kidnapping girls. Some jerk said they were only taking the ones with unique magic styles because they would go for a better price." Lucy said. Her eyes shown with determination as she spoke," I am sure these men kidnapped those other girls from the village too. Before we beat them up, it is important to get those poor girls to safety." Nodding stiffly, Natsu tried to calm down as his blood boiled with rage. Lucy's hand in his helped him relax so when she removed it, Natsu almost tried to grab it back.

Sneaking with stealth Natsu felt was ninja worthy, Lucy and Natsu approached the building's back door. A swift hand chop to a pressure point on the neck, allowed Lucy to take care of the guard. Natsu smirked with pride,"_ That's my Lucy._" After processing his words, Natsu thought,"_ my Lucy?"_

Lucy snapped him out of his thoughts by whacking his head. "Pay attention!" She hissed," This is serious so be alert." Rubbing his sore head, Natsu scanned his surroundings. A dimly lit hallway led to three doors. At the end of the hallway there was a stone staircase that descended underground. Lucy and Natsu shared a glance then nodded in agreement as they made their way towards the stairs. Heavy footsteps thumping up the stairs caused the Lucy and Natsu to dash and hide behind a conveniently, for them, placed large flower pot that sprouted a dense thorn bush. Happy quickly flew up to hide on one the ceiling rafters. Lucy held her breath as the fat drunken man stomped past Natsu and her. Although the pot was big, there wasn't much space between it and the wall. Natsu had pulled Lucy so close to him that she could feel his lips brushing her neck. Her breathing hitched, but she couldn't lean forwards into the thorn cover bush. Her face was dark red from the blush coating her entire face when Natsu finally slipped out into the hallway again. She shakily took his outstretched hand as he helped her out.

"Are you okay, Luce?" Natsu asked, his face furrowed in concern," Do you have a fever or something because your face looks like a tomato." Lucy quickly shook her head no, and tried to focus. "Stay here on guard, Happy," Natsu said to the exceed sitting on a rafter. Happy's predictable response was," Aye, Sir!"

Creeping down the stairs, Lucy carefully listened for more footsteps. The sound of whispering voices reached her ears. A quiet sob began to escape from a girl's lips causing Lucy and Natsu to speed up. As Lucy came down the last step, the sight that greeted her made tears well up in the eyes. Behind her, Natsu hissed in fury.

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**Sorry for the cliff hanger! -dodging angry readers throwing sporks- Stop the murderous thoughts or I won't be able to post the next chapter! **

**Anyway...For those of you who are not plotting my imaginary death, Please review! I hope you liked chapter five, and will continue to read my story! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**For the (hopefully) humans reading this: The number of reviews, followers, and favorites continues to rise and I am so thankful. I get so excited that I do a happy dance, in my head. The reason I do not actually dance is because gravity is against me resulting a severe lack of balance that would cause dancing to lead to injury...Anyway, I hope you like Chapter 6!**

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_As Lucy came down the last step, the sight that greeted her made tears well up in her eyes. Behind her, Natsu hissed in fury…_

There were 19 girls in the dungeon/prison room. They all were chained to the walls with heavy iron chains. Magic circles on each of the restraints showed the chains not only kept the poor girls contained, but were draining them of magic power as well. Most of the girls' eyes were dull, showing no hope and lacking the spark to fight. To Lucy and Natsu's disappointment, they did not see any sign of Wendy or Charla. Taking a deep breath to try and steady herself, Lucy prepared to speak up. As Lucy opened her mouth, " H-

"Yo! Time to go girls!" Natsu's energetic voice interrupted her. The sound of Natsu's voice made several of the girls jump, but not one of them looked up. Instead, they shamefully lowered their heads and seemed to be waiting for something to hit them.

Lucy's soft and gentle voice spoke up," We are here to bring you back to your families. Can you all walk if we remove the restraints?" The girls' heads shot up in shock as they stared at their rescuers. A few began to cry tears of joy as hope began to spark in their eyes again. Lighting his hand on fire, Natsu began to melt through the chains restraining the girls. Lucy summoned Cancer who began to slice through the chains as well. As each girl was freed, Lucy helped them to their feet and over to an area where they could wait. Lucy's eyes watered a bit as she saw how thin and frail the kidnapped girls were. Lucy gasped when she saw the countless bruises, cuts, and burns on each of the girls. "Did those men beat you?" Lucy asked in a soft voice. Her heart twisted painfully when they nodded yes. Lucy's voice shaking, she asked," Why?"

A girl stepped forward. She was so thin that Lucy knew she must be practically skin and bones. The girl's dark brown hair was matted and chopped short, like all of the other girls. Her voice rasped as she spoke," They are making us "obedient". By breaking our spirits, they won't have to worry about customer complaints," her voice turned sarcastic," Their customers wouldn't want a slave girl with a conscious." Natsu's lips curled into a scowl and his fangs were visible. Lucy fist clenched as she finished helping the last girl to her feet.

"Let's go then," Natsu said," The sooner we get you to safety, the sooner I will make those men pay for hurting you!" At his words, all of the girls grew hearts in their eyes and began to fawn over Natsu. Lucy felt a twinge of discomfort in her chest," _Could I be jealous?" _Lucy vehemently shook her head,_" NO!"_

"W-Wait," a short, shaking girl with light pink hair stepped forward and grabbed onto Lucy's shirt sleeve. "We can't forget about Wendy!" All of the girls suddenly stopped and their eyes grew wide with worry. "Please save Wendy first!" The pink haired girl begged," She was the one who gave us hope that we would be rescued. After she was taken, we had lost all hope again, but now that you are here you can still save her!"

"WENDY?!" Natsu and Lucy said. The girls jumped at their voices. Quickly turning to face them all, Lucy asked," Where is she? Wendy is our comrade!" The girls smiled.

Another girl with tangled green hair said," So you ARE the Natsu and Lucy from Fairy Tail. Wendy kept our spirits up by telling us stories about you two." Lucy and Natsu looked at each other. This action made the entire group of girls giggle. Lucy shook her head in confusion. The girl spoke again, this time with urgency in her voice," Some men took Wendy about an hour ago to 'teach her a lesson'. For each of us girls we were either beaten as a 'lesson' once or twice until we broke. They only punish you harder each time, and this is Wendy's fourth time. She already has a broken ankle, please hurry and save her!" Natsu gave a determined nod, fire shining in his eyes.

"We need to get you to safety as well, girls," Lucy said. She turned to Natsu and ordered," Go find Wendy. I'll get the girls outside and hidden in the forest. I'll leave a spirit with them and come back to find you and Wendy." Natsu looked at Lucy a grateful smile on his face. Natsu felt a twinge of pride at how well Lucy knew him. Lucy smirked and made a shooing motion," Go kick some scumbags into the next century!" Without another word, Natsu tore up the stairs.

Lucy turned around to face the girls and motioned for them to follow her. Putting a hand to her lips, Lucy reminded them to stay silent as they all crept up the stairs. Lucy saw Happy waiting at the top and shushed him when he began to speak. Nodding his head Happy did a pose and whispered," Aye! Nin-nin!" The girls followed Lucy down the hallway, a few shaking in fear as the passed the doors. Lucy gave them a reassuring look, and waved her hand at them to hurry up. One girl suddenly fainted on fear. Lucy spun around to see why she was afraid. Two angry and muscular men stood blocking the exit. Lucy smirked and pulled out her whip. Not even bother to use magic; she swiftly tied the two morons together. Approaching the struggling men with a slow walk; Lucy gave them a chilling predatory look. The men managed to squeak out," Help!" before Lucy knocked them both into a wall with her signature 'Lucy Kick'. Then Lucy simply walked back and lifted the unconscious girl up. She motioned to Happy who nodded in agreement before activating his wings and taking the girl in his tail to carry her. Lucy once again, resumed leading the now wonder struck girls out the door. The night sky was beautiful and the girls cherished it. Lucy let them stare for a bit at the sky they hadn't seen in weeks.

Lucy whispered," We are not safe yet, come on! We have to get into the cover of the forest. There is a cave about half a mile from here. My spirit Loki will guide you there." A few girls began to protest Lucy leaving. They had been awed by her courage and confidence and felt safer around the spirited blonde. However, after Lucy summoned Loki, their complaints stopped. Turning up his charm power to full blast, Loki easily had the girls following him with hearts in their eyes in seconds. "Be careful, Princess," Loki warned Lucy as he left. Lucy rolled her eyes and turned back to the door. A ruckus only Natsu could cause could be heard. Lucy smiled as she turned and began to run towards the sounds of a fight.

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**I would love to hear what you thought so please review! Also, I know this chapter was a little shorter than usual, but I want to write the next chapter from Natsu's point of view. Thanks again to the (hopefully) humans who are supporting my story, and who are going to write a review for this chapter! ;)**


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